Microsoft makes Windows cheaper for manufacturers with Windows 8.1 with Bing

Microsoft has announced Windows 8.1 with Bing, a new version of the operating system that will soon begin shipping on low-cost hardware — and low-cost hardware only. The user experience is largely identical to regular old Windows 8.1; there aren't any restrictions or limitations that you might expect from a "cheap" Windows release. But to be clear, this isn't the free version of Windows that some were hoping for. Instead, the big changes here affect companies building Windows devices.

In exchange for lower licensing fees (Microsoft isn't revealing specifics on how much OEMs are saving), Windows 8.1 with Bing products must ship with Bing as the default search engine in Internet Explorer. End users can obviously switch to Google or...

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